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How R&D Makes Limited Cards
by Bill Stark | posted at 2010-02-11 23:14:00
tagged: WOTC, MTG, Magic, Wizards, Wizards of the Coast, , Magic the Gathering, DailyMTG, Latest Developments, R&D, Erik Lauer
On DailyMTG.com today, Tom LaPille took a break from his usual spot at the helm of the Latest Developments column, discussing how Wizards R&D members take cool cards from design teams and polish them into fair sets for competitive play. Instead, Erik Lauer is doing a guest spot. Topic of choice? How R&D points new cards for Limited.
The process, which is quite detailed and takes hours, is explained by the veteran R&D member in pretty explicit terms. While not a definitive guide for Limited play, the pointing system (on a 5 point scale) provides a guide for R&D in determining the balance of a set in Limited play. It's a truly fascinating look behind the curtain so to speak within Wizards of the Coast at how they design the game for Limited environments. Lauer's very analytical writing style (before working as a game developer he worked at high security levels for the U.S. military) is actually quite engaging considering the analytical undertaking the pointing method requires. For the benefit of readers, there are also multiple pointing exercises for giving it a try in the comfort of your own home.
You can find the full article here.
Latest Developments is published every Friday. Read the Latest Developments archive here.
(Cover photo copyright Wizards of the Coast.)
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Bill Stark is the founder and editor-in-chief of TheStarkingtonPost.com. He began playing Magic in 1995 after being introduced to the game by his brother. Since then he has competed at all levels of play including the JSS, Grand Prix, Nationals, and Pro Tour. In addition to his career as a pro, Bill began writing about the game early on for TheDojo.com, the first website dedicated to Magic. Since then he has written and edited for nearly every major Magic website on the web. In 2007 he began work as an official coverage reporter for Wizards of the Coast, flying to Grand Prixs, Nationals, and World Championships to record the events happening at each. He was also hired for six months as an R&D intern at Wizards where he worked on the redesign for DailyMTG.com as well as helping to develop multiple Magic sets. After leaving Wizards, he started TheStarkingtonPost.com to utilize his many contacts in the industry to provide a better information solution for fans of TCGs, gaming, and Magic: The Gathering.